The first repatriation flight carrying Belgian citizens landed at Zaventem Airport on Sunday morning at 7:30.
The plane had departed from Oman on Saturday evening at 9:20, according to Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It made a stopover in Hurghada, Egypt, and continued to Belgium at 3:55 local time.
Among the 234 passengers on board were 195 Belgians, 22 Spaniards, 13 French citizens, two Luxembourgers, and two Swedes, the ministry confirmed.
Belgium is also operating military flights using two A400M planes from the United Arab Emirates. Each flight will carry around 100 passengers from Dubai to Hurghada on Sunday, where they will then transfer to an MRTT aircraft bound for Zaventem. This group is expected to arrive in Belgium at around 1:30 on Monday.
Additionally, a chartered plane by Cyprus Airways will transport roughly 180 passengers from Dubai to Zaventem on Sunday evening. The plane is scheduled to land at 21:30 pm after making a technical stop in Cyprus.
Departure and arrival times for all flights are approximate. Delays of two to five hours should be anticipated for these operations, stated Pierre Stervlynck, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
